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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 9 Hansard (7 September) . . Page.. 3058 ..
Mr Kaine: Mr Speaker, I think I'm being Gary-ed, but I'm not sure.
MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, it is always unfortunate. People don't like having their own words quoted back to them.
Mr Speaker, the Labor Party has as part of its platform, chapter 15, securing Australia's place in the world. It finishes by saying it is imperative that Australia seek to work with China bilaterally and regionally and in global forums. It was Gough Whitlam, back in 1972, who formed the first set of relationships with China and in fact led the Western world back into China at that stage. I thought that was an extremely brave and courageous thing to do at the time, and it has turned out to be an extremely wise decision.
Mr Kaine: That was before your time, wasn't it, Chief Minister?
MS CARNELL: Well, I was at school.
MR SPEAKER: How chivalrous, Mr Kaine.
MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, nobody supports human rights abuse. The difference here is that we on this side of the house believe that the way to influence other parts of the world is through friendship, through closer relationships, through cooperation and communication. That may, and can, change the world.
MS TUCKER: Mr Speaker, I seek leave to speak again. This is a cognate debate and I would like the opportunity to respond to the issues that have been raised.
MR SPEAKER: It is a cognate debate.
Leave granted.
MS TUCKER: Thank you very much, members. I will respond firstly to the most recent points which were made by the Chief Minister. I did notice the report that was tabled from Mrs Carnell and other acquaintances who went to China. I did not notice whether there were any visits to jails when they were there. I think that would have been quite enlightening. I know that my colleague Bob Brown, while in Lhasa, was able to visit jails and to speak to people who were being victimised by the Chinese regime. I will read one little story from Senator Bob Brown's report about a political prisoner in Lhasa. It says:
He died on April 8, 1999 as a result of injuries sustained through torture while he was in jail from March 1988 to April 1998. Accused of killing a policeman during the March 5 riots in 1988 in Lhasa, Sonam Wangdue was tortured on numerous occasions in prison, sustaining permanent injuries to his head, kidneys and lungs. He ended up confined to a wheelchair. At his trial he insisted that his testimony had been obtained under torture.
As I have already explained, evidence obtained under torture is admissible in China. This report continues:
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